Mamahood Styled

10/25/2017

// these are a few of my favorite things //

I remember being pregnant with Oliver and constantly Googling (that's a verb, right?!) and Pinteresting (another verb?!) all the must-have essentials: from what to put in a diaper bag, to what to pack for the hospital bag, to what products I'd need! While I quickly found out everything is tailored and not a one-size-fits-all for each individual baby/mama/family, I truly enjoyed the posts! I remember posting about my must-haves shortly after Oliver was born and those were just the NoseFrida and the Windi! Back then, these were not well-known but since have become staples in most mama's diaper bags- you can see that post here!

Now with more experience, I want to share other products that I have tried and absolutely love. As I find more, I promise to post about those, too! Including any coupon codes I can share, because who doesn't love a coupon code!

The Owlet:

Peace of mind while your newborn sleeps in priceless! If this device would have existed when Oliver was a newborn, you bet your booty, we would have purchased it! It is worth every dime! It is a heart rate and oxygen monitor that you put on your baby's foot and it has a wireless alarm you set on your nightstand. If it's lose or can't read their data, it alerts you with a lullaby. If your baby's levels go outside the norm, it alerts you with an alarm that will wake you immediately! We have all read the horror story nightmares parent's have gone through and I could not imagine living through something like that. Which is why this is number one on the list!

Babies love to be snug to sleep because it mimics life in the womb. The DockATot is a muti-functional unit where babies can rest, relax, play, and sleep! You can easily move it from room to room, from bassinet, crib to bed, and know that your baby is safe! It fits perfectly in Luna's Pottery Barn bassinet so I can easily move her from wherever she fell asleep in it, to it! I have the Deluxe+ which will last her throughout almost her first year, at which time I will upgrade to the Grand. Luna does not enjoy tummy time, but I use the rounded sides to help her out and she enjoys that! I love that I can have her in bed with me, too, if needed! We have been using it since her first day home and I contemplated taking it to the hospital with me, too! We do use it when we travel- no hotel cribs for us and she has been able to get her night's sleep perfectly well in it! We have the white one because I love the simplicity of it, but there are a ton of amazing covers (I have my eye on one right now) and even a toy arch, making it double as a play gym for your baby!

There are so many swaddles out there and I wish I knew that there is so much more to using a swaddle than I did with Oliver. I used to wrap him up and he could get out easily; I quickly gave up and chalked it up to him hating it as he would grunt until he got out. But this time around, I've learned that it's what you do after the swaddle that matters ( yup, I took a sleep class this time around to learn)! The Ollie Swaddle is amazing, albeit a little intimidating in the beginning, since it reminded me of a little straight jacket, lol! It's amazing velcro make it so that the baby cannot get out of it but it has an easy tie at the bottom for diaper changes. I wasn't sure if it was making a difference in Luna's sleep so I stopped using it for a week. She went from sleeping almost through the night, to waking up repeatedly. I decided to give it a try again, and on one of my insomnia ridden nights, realized how many times Luna wakes throughout the night due to her heavy startle reflex. Yet with her Ollie, her arms stay snug, and she is able to fall right back to sleep! Amazing!

I can't even tell you how sick I was with Luna for over half of my pregnancy! I did A LOT of research on vitamins since after the journey to get pregnant was so hard, I wanted to make sure I was taking only the best of the best- and I was- until I found Forte Elements and realized there is something EVEN better out there! Clinically proven and research based, their prenatal vitamins gave me the boost I needed to regain some of my energy while pregnant! I wasn't sure if it was a placebo effect, but over the summer when we moved, I misplaced my box and went back to my regular high-end vitamins. Well, my fatigue came back with a bang- until a few days into taking Forte Elements and I felt like myself again! Now, in my fourth trimester postpartum, I've been taking their AM + PM Postnatal pills and am so grateful for them! Since I am exclusively breastfeeding Luna, it is SO important that not only I, but she also receives the best of the best! I truly believe they have helped us during this cold + flu season too!